English Summer Rain JosefMick Slash
by Emerald72
Summary: Just over a year after Beth's death, Josef insists Mick take a holiday through Europe with him, and the English summer rain heralds new beginnings. Josef/Mick Slash Male/Male pairing Mature Audiences only.


Title: English Summer Rain

Pairing: Josef/Mick

Rating: Low Level NC17 for some sexual content

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Just over a year after Beth's death, Josef insists Mick take a holiday through Europe with him, and the English summer rain heralds new beginnings.

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_Hold your breath, and count to ten  
Fall apart, and start again…_

"Make a wish." Josef grinned, and pointed to the falling star in the night sky above.

"I can't." Mick followed Josef's gaze skyward, and then shook his head. His body reclined back against the block of worn stone. "There wouldn't be any point."

"You miss her, don't you?"

Mick didn't answer. Just nodded a brief assent, and began to work his teeth distractedly across the pad of his thumb.

Beth had been gone a little over a year by then. The tick, tick, tick of her own living demise, as Josef had once put it, had finally grown to overshadow her. Mick had watched as the lines appeared, the hair had turned to gray; the evidence of a life lived finally scoring Beth's body. And he had felt sorrow, and pain, and longing, but most of all, jealousy. His own body would never be marred that way. His own life would never be so easily read.

Mick had longed for his own mortality.

They were in England now, he, and Josef, near the village of Keswick. The map they carried identified the structure where they sat as Castlerigg Stone Circle. Josef had been up for a little night hiking. They had already passed through Paris, and Belgium. Part of an all expenses paid European holiday, courtesy of Josef's insistence.

"I still don't understand why you didn't just turn her." Josef rested his own body back against the metamorphic slate. There was open curiosity in Josef's voice, and something else. Mick couldn't quite put his finger on it. It sounded almost like a note of relief.

"We've been through this before, Josef." Mick sounded weary at having to answer the same question, yet again. "I loved Beth."

"Loved her enough not to turn her."

"Loved her enough not to condemn her."

"You deserve to be happy, Mick." Josef dug a small pebble out of the ground, and half-heartedly threw it at a monolith standing opposite.

"That's just it, Josef," Mick furrowed his brow in contemplation, "I'm not sure I deserve to be happy. Not as a Vampire."

"That's half your problem, St John." Josef sounded as if he had heard the same lament before. He stood up, and extended his hand toward Mick. "Come on, we should be getting back. They'll send a search party out for us otherwise."

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

A steady rain had begun to fall. Josef went to offer up a protest; Mick was crazy to sit there with the ground slowly turning to mud. It was only then he noticed Mick's tears.

"Oh Christ, Mick." Josef went to sit back down.

Mick waved him off. "Josef, please. I just want to sit here for a while. I need time to say goodbye. Alone."

"Haven't you already…" Josef stopped himself from saying anything further, and nodded his understanding. "You know where I'll be if you need me."

Josef took his leave. Leaving Mick to sit with his pain, and his memories, his longing, and his goodbyes, and then finally - his acceptance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look what the cat dragged in." Josef leant against the frame of his hotel room doorway, and regarded Mick with an arched brow grin. "It's a drowned rat."

Josef ushered a bedraggled looking Mick inside, and handed him a fresh towel. Standing at the hotel room window, he studied Mick in the reflective surface. As Mick stripped off his shirt, and briskly towel dried his hair.

"This English summer rain always seems to last for ages." Josef broke away from his reverie of Mick watching, and remarked to no one in particular.

"And what about us?" Mick asked, as he approached Josef. "How long are we meant to last?"

"We're Vampires, Mick," Josef shrugged, and stated matter of fact. "We're Immortal, you do the math."

"That's not what I meant." Mick stood behind Josef now. One arm draped around Josef's chest, his chin rested on Josef's shoulder. Josef shivered under Mick's touch when Mick slipped his fingers inside Josef's shirt, and traced patterns over Josef's bare skin. And then Mick was pressing his lips against Josef's ear, and whispering. "I know you're in love with me, Josef. I've known for a while now."

Josef froze. His mind quickly ran through a catalogue of all-purpose comebacks. In the end he settled for relaxed honesty, delivered tongue in cheek.

"Took you long enough."

Josef turned to face Mick then, and tried to take a step back. Mick's friendship meant everything to him. He had accepted, and relied on it these past eighty-seven years. He wasn't prepared to risk it all for a fantasy he wasn't yet sure had come true.

And then Mick was stepping back into Josef's space, and gripping Josef's skull either side with his hands.

"Mick, don't." Josef launched a weak protest, his face already tilting to meet Mick's. As Mick drew Josef toward him, and pressed his lips against Josef's own.

They'd kissed before, once. An age ago now it seemed. Back then Mick had pretended to be too drunk on Whiskey laced blood to know what he had done. And Josef had let Mick go on with his pretence. Not this time. This time they were both stone cold sober. This time there could be no pretence.

Josef arched into the sensation. Mick's mouth crushed against his own, all warm, wet pressure, and pent up desire, Mick's hands caressing the planes of his back. It was perfect. It was just the way Josef had always imagined.

"How far…" Josef broke the kiss long enough to ask.

"…I'll take whatever you're offering."

What ever he was offering, an eternities worth of love, and companionship? Mick's answer had been steeped in certainty. Josef understood then. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision on Mick's part.

Josef manoeuvred Mick over to the bed, using the weight of his body to guide Mick along. He couldn't get out his clothes fast enough, watched as Mick removed the remainder of his own.

And then they were tumbling down to the mattress below, wrapped up in one another. And Josef's body was pressed firm against Mick's. Their erections lined up together.

Mick groaned as Josef began to shift against him. His legs wrapped tighter around Josef's waist, fingernails digging into the flesh of Josef's back.

It wasn't enough. Mick wanted more.

"Fuck me," he pleaded into Josef's open mouth.

"I'm not offering that," Josef's refusal was evident. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

Josef raised himself up onto outstretched arms. "Because this isn't just about sex, Mick. Haven't you already worked that out?"

"I thought everything was about sex to you, Josef?" Mick teased with an unfettered smile.

Josef's movements slowed, and then stopped. "Not everything, Mick. Not you."

_I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life, in age after age forever._

Before Mick had a chance to respond, Josef was sliding down the length of his body. His lips and tongue trailed a path along Mick's abdomen, and then sort lower.

Mick gasped, and reached down to grip the top of Josef's head. As Josef's mouth found its mark.

"Oh Jesus, Fuck."

It was good, better than good. Josef worked his tongue over Mick's length. Stimulation assisted by a corkscrew motion of his hand up and down Mick's shaft.

And then Mick was arching his back, and coming with a muffled shout. His cries of release stopped by his wrist pressed against his mouth. Fangs sunk deep into soft tissue, and bone.

Josef fisted the length of his own cock, and quickly bought himself to the point of completion alongside Mick. Two rapidly healing puncture wounds on Mick's hip, the evidence of his own release.

When it was over, Josef shifted back up the length of Mick's body, and drew Mick into an embrace. They lay together in silent repletion. Josef occasionally bent his face towards Mick's. His mouth pressed against Mick's own, letting Mick taste the stray essence of himself that still clung to Josef's lips.

"You were right before, you know."

"Of course," Josef chortled with wry amusement. "I'm always right."

Mick resisted the urge to chide Josef for his insolence. "About half my problem not being happy as a Vampire, I mean."

"Oh?" Josef tried to affect a casual tone, "And what are you intending to do about it?"

"I think I could be happy with you," Mick replied, "I'd like to give it a go at least. You up for it?"

"Always."

Grinning, Josef shifted position to lie over Mick. Hands clutching, and mouths meeting once again in a heated clash of lips, and fangs, they moved as one. Headed toward the abyss once more.

Outside the rain still fell, washing away tears, and heralding new beginnings.

_Always stays the same, nothing ever changes…_

Only this time things had changed.

_…English summer rain seems to last for ages._


End file.
